FIFA 10 (Wii) Review

After EA going on record to confirm it had 'backed the wrong horse', ignoring the Wii and facing the consequences, the developer / publisher started making a conscious effort to ensure its Wii line-up was of a higher calibre, rather than a bog-standard port from another system. The results have so far been extremely positive, with EA Sports Active, Tiger Woods 2010, Grand Slam Tennis and even Dead Space: Extraction all showing what can be achieved when some extra care and attention is put into Wii releases. FIFA 10 follows the same lead and is actually built from the ground-up, rather than being another format's version with waggle-controls forced in. Gone is the flashy intro sequence and licensed soundtrack and in comes a much lighter style of appearance, with players still easily recognisable (for the most part - this is FIFA after all; home of the most hideous of character models in the past…), but looking rather more cartoon-like than before, with pale shaded colours, rather like the approach taken for EA's recent tennis outing. The result does not mean that Rooney does not look like his real-life counter-part, but it is something that is bound to make some sectors, such as those more used to high definition visuals and super realistic players, turn their noses up at this Wii version. Yet there is definitely great appeal in the direction taken and the final result is that FIFA 10 looks far better than any of the other FIFA games on Wii so far.

The lack of licensed music is somewhat of a disappointment, though, as what replaces it is bland background tunes that are instantly forgettable. Thankfully the commentary is of a high standard, with Martin Tyler and Andy Gray giving constant play-by-play updates through each match and actually improvising for their recordings, as opposed to being fed lines from a script as in previous outings, thus leading to a much greater natural flow on the punditry side. Additionally, the roar from the crowd is as pleasing as ever, especially when everyone starts chanting, urging on your team. A dedicated team was employed to travel around the world and record crowd noises from various matches to make sure the on-pitch atmosphere is as authentic as possible. Obviously some chants had to be dropped due to their vulgar nature, but on the whole it goes to show the lengths taken to provide the player with the best possible experience. EA can nearly always be counted upon to deliver on the presentation side and in FIFA 10 for Wii that definitely does not change.

Last year's odd collection of Mii mini-games, with players such as Roonii and Ronaldiinho, has been dropped and in their place comes a nice little managerial effort called 'Battle for Glory', which is like a very watered down version of Football Manager. It has you playing through a standard season in the league of your choice, taking control of the set-up of your team, changing tactics, buying/selling players and giving motivation to your players before each match commences. It certainly will not satiate those who want Sports Interactive to make a Wii edition of Football Manager, but it does add a nice twist to the usual League mode featured in most football titles. This is likely to be the mode most people play through, although there is also the option to play in a tournament or simply jump straight into a quick match, either against the computer, up to three friends, or against people all over the world (one-on-one or two-on-two).

FIFA 10 comes with various control methods, including the ultra basic All-Play mode that has the game doing all the running for players, leaving them to just tap the pass and shoot buttons on the Wii remote. Then there is the standard Classic Controller set-up that helps the game feel more like its 'older' brothers. However, the most intriguing way of playing has to be using the Advanced set-up, with both the Wii remote and nunchuk combined. Here the nunchuk is used for several purposes - jogging using the analogue stick, dashing whilst holding the Z button, quickly controlling your speed when running too fast with a tap of the C button and directing passes, also using the analogue stick in tandem with the pass button on the Wii remote. Through balls and lobbed passes are done by tapping or holding A and B as appropriate to the amount of weight you want to put behind the kick, the directional pad lets players pull off one of four tricks and a swift shake of the Wii remote results in an overly elaborate shot occurring. There are various other control nuances, such as getting players to make runs ahead or join in with hustling attackers when defending, merely by tapping the minus button, plus the fact that chipped shots can be pulled off by holding C and shaking the Wii remote. It may sound awkward to those used to standard control settings, but once it falls into place, matches become fantastic arcade experiences with inch-perfect passing, fancy moves and stunning goals being the order of the day.

Free kicks, corners and goal-keeping from free kicks also take on a slightly different slant than before, with two basic options - pass and shoot for the dead ball situations and great timing required when attempting to prevent a goal being scored. The quality of shooting is determined by the timing of when the Wii remote is shaken, with too early a waggle resulting in a weaker effort and one done just before the ball is kicked leading to a rocket being fired. As for corners, whether you or the defender wins the ball comes from timely Wii remote shaking as well, and the same goes for goal-keeping from free kicks. A green light will appear on-screen and that is your cue to give a deft flick of the controller in an attempt to be quicker off the mark than your opponent and deliver that devastating blow.

There are also some interesting additions to add to the arcade feel of the game, such as Manager Moments, Game Boosters and a Momentum Meter. Before each match commences, you will be asked to choose a statement that shows your intentions for the game ahead ('Score more than four goals', 'Do not commit more than two fouls', 'Sustain a minimum possession rate of 60%', and so on). Out of the three options available each time, there are points attributed to them that are added to your team's confidence rating if successfully achieved. On top of this, meeting the set targets then allows the player to select two random Game Boosters; items that augment the strength of various aspects of the team. They come in common and uncommon formats, heightening aspects such as player speed, stamina and tackling prowess, plus certain combinations can form special ones like allowing players to pull of tricks they normally could not dream of doing.

Finally, there is the Momentum Meter, which builds up during play itself, filling gradually the longer you retain possession and build up pressure against an opponent. When this meter fills up, players perform better tricks, have stronger, more accurate shots, make the opposing goalkeeper parry each time and revitalise flagging stamina levels. EA has tried is hardest to gain the right balance between helping out those Wii owners that may not be quite as au fait at football games as others, whilst also maintaining a certain standard that will not push away the hardcore following too much. Given the reception from users and critics alike so far, it would appear the company has pulled off quite the coup, and Cubed3 certainly agrees that out of all the football games currently available on Wii, FIFA 10 takes the trophy home. Can Konami fight back with Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 later this month, though, using its excellent point-and-pass control method?